Enwrapment with reinforcement



Dec. 25, 1956 Filed Aug. 28, 1951 W. VOGT ENWRAPMENT WITH REINFORCEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet l "W 'W T INVENTOR. CLARENCE W. VOGT Dec. 25, 1956 c. w. VOGT ENWRAPMENT WITH REINFORCEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 23-, 1951 INVENTOR. CLARENCE W. VQGT.

his ATTORNEYS.

ENWRAPMENT WITH REINFORCEMENT Clarence W. Vogt, Norwalk, Conn.

Application August 28, 1951, Serial No. 245,955

2Claims. 01. 229 -87) filed.July 25, 195 1, for Enwrapments for Plastic and Like Substances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved enwrapment for products of the above character by means of which such products may be effectively enclosed or wrapped with a minimum amount of wrapping material and, in such condition, not only veffectively packaged in such fashion as to retard loss by evaporation, etc., from the product, but also to support the product with a reasonable amount of protection' against external stresses that might cause the wrapped product tobe deformed.

Another object of the invention is to provide Wrapping material in the. form of blanks shaped and formed in an improved fashion to facilitate the wrapping operations in which the blanks are used.

, Yet another object of the invention is to provide a blank, as above referred to, by means of which the positioning of the blanks in the preliminary wrapping operations may befacilitated.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent as it is described in further detail in connection ,vvithlthe accompanying drawings, wherein a Fig. 1 is a plan view of material out of which reinforcements are made in accordance with this invention,

later operations. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing yet another form of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a plan View showing the manner in which the reinforcements are positioned upon the material of which the final blanks are formed.

Fig. 5 is a partial view in section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows showing the manner in which the reinforcements are secured to the blanks as well as the nature of the final blank.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a completed blank formed with a reinforcement of the form shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the blank of Fig. 6 is wrapped around the product to be enwrapped therein in the preliminary wrapping operation.

Fig. 8 is a partial perspective view illustrating the wrapping operation following that shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 showing the next succeeding wrapping operation.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 showing the next succeeding wrapping operation.

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 9 showing the final 4 wrapping operation.

* United States Patent 0 2,775,397 Patented Dec. 25, 1956 Referring to Figures 1, 4, 5 and 6 there is shown one form of the invention wherein an enwrapmentlZ is formed with ends 13 and 14 and sides 15 and 16 respectively. As illustrated in Fig. 7, the ends 13 and 14 are adapted to be folded in overlapping relationship in the initial wrapping operation.

Suitably adhered to the enwrapment 12 is a reinforcement 17 of a length substantially equal to the width of the enwrapment and having two end portions 18 and 19 established by the respective fold lines 20 and 21 and between which a central portion 22 is formed. Slits 23 and 24 are formed inwardly from the respective sides 15 and 16 and preferably spaced slightly from the adjacent sides of the respective ends 18.and 19, thespacing being indicated at 25. In this fashion the portion of the enwrapment forming these spaces serves to conceal the reinforcement when the enwrapment is in its wrapped condition as illustrated in Figures 10 and 11.

By providing the slits 23 and 24 as above described the movement of the enwrapment into the wrapping machine may be accurately controlled. For example, finger-s may be received in the slits and the wrappers advanced by pushing against the adjacent edge of the reinforcement. Sufficient body and strength is thus provided to insure a movement and operation that can be accomplished with great precision. Moreover the slits 23 and 24 are formed to facilitate the folding operations involved in wrapping the enwrapment about desired objects or substances.

The reinforcement 17 may be formed by a cutting or stamping operation performed upon a continuous blank, if desired. Referring to Fig. l, for example, the material of such a blank is indicated at 26 and is formed with a plurality of central slits 27 and end slits 28 and 29. A

slight amount of the body of the stock is permitted to re- "showing the manner in which cuts are made to facilitate A wraprnent 12.

main as connections as indicated at 30 and 31 in order that the slitted blank may be advanced effectively to be separated into the reinforcement blanks by pulling the end blank to tear the connections 30 and 31 at the point where the end blank is to be removed and adhered to the en- In this blank advancing operation the slits 27, 28 and 29 are conveniently utilized as a means ofapplying moving fingers or elements to the edges of the'blanks in order that they may be pushed or moved into desired positions and in a desired fashion.

It is found particularly convenient to utilize a continuous web of wrappingzmaterial as indicated generally at 32 in Fig. 4. Such a web may be cut into enwrapments along the lines 33 to form the end edges 13 and 14 of the enwrapment blanks and as illustrated in greatly enlarged form in Fig. 5, where the enwrapment is to enclose food products, a suitable layer 34 of, for example, parchment is adhered by an adhesive 35 to the material of the blank 17, this blank in turn being adhered by an .adhesive 36 to a layer 37 also of parchment that is adhered to the body of the enwrapment 32 by mean-s of an adhesive layer 38. A coating 39 (or layer of foil, if desired) may be adhered to the outer surface of the blank 32 for decorative or other purposes and the specific structure of the enwrapment and its reinforcement may be varied widely to suit different requirements.

Referring to Figures 7 to 11 inclusive an elfective wrapping operation is illustrated. As above stated, the initial operation (Fig. 7) comprises bringing over the ends about an object 40 to be wrapped and in overlapping relationship. The next step is illustrated in Figure 8 in which the side end flaps 41 are folded over against the ends of the object causing the top end flaps 42 to be doubled over at an angle as shown at 43 and the bottom end of flaps 44 to be swung upwardly partially.

Following this operation the opposite side flaps 45 are folded over as shown in Fig. 9, following which the bottom flaps 44 are folded upwardly against the, previous folds, as shown in Fig. 10. The final fold is made by folding downthe top flap 42 as illustrated in .Fig. 11. As above mentioned, the portion 25 of the material of the enwrapment serves to conceal the adjacent edge of the reinforcementf17 and thus prevents degrading the .appearance of the wrapper in. its finally folded condition.

InFig. Zthere is illustrated .aJmQdified form of .the invention wherein the reinforcement .is made from a blank 46 (itself similar to .the blank 26) by a slightly different cutting operation. In this form central slits 47 are formed across the lines of fold.20 and 21 and side slits 48 and 49 are formed in such position that they are offset in the direction of the length of the blank 46. .Connections 50 and 51 are thus formed generally in planes at angles other than right angles to the lines of fold 20 and 21 (contrary to planesat -right angles thereto .as shown in Fig. '1). There is thus formed tabs 52 and -53 in the ends of the reinforcements, these tabs projecting slightly beyond the sides of the Wrapped object at the ends thereof :to afford a convenient means by which the initial unwrapping step may be performed.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3 a blank 54 (similar to blank 26) is formed by stamping or cutting out its sides to form the ends 55 of the blanks 17 with tapering sides 56 and 57. Central cuts or slits 58 are formed similar to cuts 27 the cuts forming the tapering sides 56 and '57 .and the central cuts 58 being so formed as to leave connections 59- w-hioh are similar to the connection-s 30 and 3-1. In this form of the invention the material of the wrapper is slit at 60 and 61 adjacent each of the tapering sides 56 and 57 as illustrated at the right in Fig. .3. By means of the tapering side edges 56 and '57 the reinforcements may be utilized to facilitate the this invention provides enwrapments which not only materially strengthen the wrapped package, but greatly facilitate the operation incident to the forming of the enwrapment as well as those by which the enwrapment is applied to and wrapped around the contents thereof. In as 'much as the strength of the resulting package is greatly increased, the material of the enwrapment may be reduced inweig'ht or strength or'both, thus substantially reducing the cost. of the enwrapment and the resulting wrapped commodity.

While the invention has been described with reference to the specific forms shown in the accompanying drawings, it is not to be limited save as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, flexible sheet material having sides and ends, a strip of reinforcing material thicker and stiffer than said sheet material secured to the latter and extending from side to side of said material at about its mid-portion, saidstrip having a mid-portion corresponding substantially in shape and dimensions to a side face of thearticle'to be wrapped in said sheet material and end portions to overlap the ends of said article and cuts in said sheet material extending inwardly from the sides thereof adjacent at least one edge of each of the end portions of said strip and offset .outwardly .to one side of and immediately adjacent to the end portions of the strip.

2. As an article .of manufacture, flexible sheetmaterial having sides and ends, a strip of reinforcing material thicker and stiffer than said sheet material secured tohthe latter and extending from side to side of said sheet material at about its mid-portion, said strip having a midportion corresponding substantially in shape and dimensions to a side face of the article to be wrapped in said sheet material ,and end-portions to overlap the ends of said article, foldlines in said strip between its mid-portion and its endportions, and cuts in said sheet material extending inwardlyzfrom the sides thereof adjacent ,at least one edge of each .of .the end portions-of said stripv and offset outwardly to one side .of and immediatelyadjacent to the end portions .of .thestrip, said cuts terminating intermediate the length of the end portions of vsaid strip,

References Cited in the file .of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 746,014 Callahan Dec. 8,1903 1,017,337 Stone Feb. 13, 1912 1,582,925 Gross May 4, 1926 1,784,317 Stokes Dec. 9,-1-930 1,830,342 Stokes Nov. "3, 1932 2,005,351 "Rosenblatt June 1-8, 1935 2,008,837 Rumsey July 23, 1 935 2,115,977 Lowenfels May 3,1938 2,295,231 "Milmoe et al Sept.'8 ,--1942 

